The present invention relates to blowers for blowing debris and vegetation, and more particularly to a blower having a fan, a motor and a volute airflow passage arranged within a housing of the blower to enhance the ergonomics of the blower.
Blowers are used in a variety of applications to blow dirt and debris, vegetation clippings, leaves and other like matter. Such blowers are often either carried with one hand at the user""s side or either on the user""s back via a backpack style harness, or from the user""s side via a shoulder strap attached to the housing of the blower.
When carrying a blower at one side, such as with one hand or with a shoulder strap, previously developed blowers have often proved to be uncomfortable to use. This is because previously developed blowers have included an impeller or fan which is disposed along a generally horizontal plane when the blower is hanging along one side of the user. This necessitates forming a protrusion (i.e., a volute) in the housing to accommodate the fan and direct its airflow output toward a discharge port. The protrusion, however, rests against the user""s hip or leg when the user is operating the blower with the blower at his/her side. From an ergonomic standpoint, this is undesirable because of the discomfort that the user may experience because of the protrusion in the housing of the blower resting against his/her leg or hip. Also, as the user moves about, the protrusion on the housing may also cause the blower to bounce slightly against the user""s leg and/or hip, thus resulting in heightened discomfort.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a blower having its fan arranged in such a manner within the housing of the blower such that the blower can be supported along one side of the user, such as alongside the leg or hip, more comfortably as the user moves about while using the blower. It would also be desirable to provide such a blower where the external dimensions of the blower are not increased significantly by reorientating various components within the blower housing to provide the improved ergonomic operation.
The present invention relates to a blower having a fan disposed within a housing of the blower generally perpendicular to an airflow discharge port of the blower. The fan is positioned within a volute, wherein the volute forms a protrusion on the housing. The fan is further located at a rear portion of the housing so that the blower can be held at the user""s side via a shoulder strap or carried by a handle on the housing without the volute interfering with the user""s leg or hip. By positioning the fan and volute at the rear of the housing, the ergonomics of the blower are significantly enhanced. The rearward positioning of the fan also allows for a more compact layout by making use of the space underneath the motor for the volute transition area. A further advantage is the angle at which the airflow is discharged from the housing when the blower is supported behind the user against the user""s back and used with a flexible discharge wand. In this position, the rearward location of the volute and the transition of the volute to the airflow discharge port aids in the comfort of using the blower and results in a more forwardly directed airflow discharge into the flexible wand.
In the preferred embodiments the blower is driven by a motor, the axis of which is disposed generally parallel to the longitudinal axis (or plane) of the airflow discharge port. The motor is further disposed underneath the handle portion of the housing. Thus, this provides a well balanced xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d to the blower when the user is holding the blower at one side of his/her body.
The airflow passage between the volute and the airflow discharge port further includes a wall portion which protrudes into the airflow path, and thus obstructs the line of sight path between the discharge port and a peripheral edge of the fan. Obstructing the line of sight between the peripheral edge of the fan and the airflow discharge port helps to reduce the noise generated by the blower.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.